Central trade unions barring the RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh are mounting pressure on the Narendra Modi government to scrap the four new labour codes.
Ten trade unions, including the Congress-backed Intuc, CPI-supported AITUC and the CPM-backed Citu, on Monday held nationwide protests against the implementation of the Code on Wages, Industrial Relations Code, Code on Social Security, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code.
The BMS has sought amendments to the labour codes.
The Code on Wages was passed in Parliament in August 2019 and the other three in September 2020. The codes seek to subsume the 29 existing labour laws.
The states are required to publicise the draft rules and seek comments before passing the rules. The new codes will take effect after the Centre finalises the rules and notifies
the states.
The 10 trade unions opposed these codes for being pro-corporate and anti-worker. These unions have said the Industrial Relations Code, which provides for speedy redress of workers’ disputes, exempts firms engaging up to 300 employees from seeking permission from the state governments before laying off workers.
